The present invention relates to a new and improved envelope processing machine.
Envelope processing machines are known in the prior art wherein the contents within envelopes are mechanically extracted from the envelopes. One such machine is described, for example, in West, U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,252. In such machines, envelopes are removed from a supply hopper, transmitted to a cutting station where one edge of the envelope is cut open, and then transmitted to a removal station wherein the envelope is opened and the contents mechanically extracted. The present invention provides for the manual removal or insertion of the contents of an envelope at the processing station, thus avoiding the complexity and problems incident to the operation of mechanical processing means.
Envelope processing machines are also known in the prior art wherein envelopes are removed from a supply hopper, severed along one edge at a cutting station, and transmitted to a station whereat the envelope is opened and held open for manual removal of the contents therefrom. Such a machine is fully described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,611 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The machine there described includes a plurality of reciprocating arms with each such arm terminating with a suction cup coupled to a source of negative air pressure. One such arm is located at the envelope hopper where the suction cup engages the envelopes one at a time and pulls the envelopes to a conveyor. The suction cup is able to grip the envelopes due to the air suction at the suction cup. Similarly, a pair of such arms are located at the processing station with each arm having a suction cup arranged to engage respective side panels of the envelopes for gripping and separating the side panels to dispose the envelopes in an open condition to an operator. Again, the suction at the suction cups facilitates the gripping of the envelopes side panels.
While the last mentioned envelope processing machine has exhibited features and advantages over similar machines in the prior art, it is possible that a problem may be encountered at the processing station due to the air suction utilized for gripping and separating the side panels of the envelopes. When envelopes constructed from porous paper material are processed, the air suction utilized for opening the envelopes may pass through the envelope side panels and, as a consequence, hold the contents of the envelope against one of the side panels during the manual extraction process. If this situation should ensue, an operator would have difficulty removing all the contents from the envelope.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved envelope processing machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an envelope processing machine which includes a new and improved envelope opening means which bends the side panels of the envelopes inwardly as the envelope panels are separated to thereby force the contents within the envelopes away from the side panels and towards the center of the opened envelopes to dispose the contents within the envelopes in a position to allow easy grasping of the contents by an operator.
The invention therefore provides an envelope processing machine which includes a supply hopper for envelopes to be processed, an envelope processing station, means for removing envelopes from the supply hopper and for transmitting the removed envelopes to the envelope processing station, an envelope opening means at the processing station which includes a pair of reciprocating envelope gripping means arranged to grip and separate opposite panels of an envelope to facilitate the removal of contents therefrom. At least one of the envelope gripping means includes envelope panel bending means for bending its respective envelope panel as the envelope panels are separated for displacing the envelope contents from the envelope panels.